Lyric Fire: #NaPoWriMo 2012 – Day 3 – Words Are A Crime

NaPoWriMo – 30 Poems in 30 Days – Day 3

 

WORDS ARE A CRIME

words are a crime

uttered from a place deep

buttered with a sick sticky substance called hate

words are a crime

 

poisonous delivery

from fingers on a keyboard

a tongue dripping with bad blood

and steamy halitosis

words are a crime

 

whispered slowly and hotly

into the ear of a lover

she doesn’t look like you

her skin is dark

you pierce her with a white rod

the anger is centuries old

she cries out in passion

you inflict her with pain

saying mean and nasty things

she loves it

she’s sick

you’re sane

words are a crime

 

little seeds dropped

sprouted and spoiled

instilled with doctrine they don’t understand

they follow suit because you are the teacher

words are a crime

 

your culture is hidden behind skin that betrays it

you pass with glee loving the anonymity

walking with the wealthy

protected by the judicious

all the while feeling fradulent

you act out

report those who you fear

you are more like than who you claim to be

911 what’s your emergency?

I’d like to report a suspicious person

he looks black

he’s just staring

looking at the houses

he’s staring at me

now he’s running

those assholes

they always get away

 

help! help! help!

pop!

 

words are a crime

 

For more delicious servings of poetry this month, please visit these bloggers as they are also participating in NaPoWriMo! 

Sweepy Jean Explores the (Webby) World

AscendingTheHills

142 Books

Sulekha Rawat: Memoirs

To create…

memoirs of a homemaker

For Jen’s Sake

One Time Pad

© 2012 – 2014, TamekaMullins. All rights reserved.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Comments (14 Responses)

  1. Corinne says:

    I’m blown away – that’s the power of words, your words, Tameka. Absolutely relevant!

  2. sulekha says:

    A strong poem with an even stronger message, wow.Love your creativity…
    http://sulekharawat.com/2012/04/03/comfortably-numb/

  3. Andy says:

    Hello.
    WoW! Words can indeed be a crime when spoken from that place of hate, but they can also be a source of encouragement & support when uttered from the heart with love. Powerful words indeed Tameka. Thanks for sharing.
    http://thoughtsofbeautyinthestillnessofdawn.blogspot.com/2012/04/day-3-cosmopolitan-flower.html

  4. The raw emotion here is palpable. Wow! How you move me with everything you write. Such talent!

  5. Oooo then I’ve killed many people because of my sharp tongue…
    You words are efficacious and powerful. They serve to make me reflect on how I use them in relating with people.
    Words are born from what goes in my heart and head.

  6. Adriene says:

    OMG, this poem, and especially those last lines, brought me right there all over again to the anger and sadness I felt when I first heard the recordings of the 911 calls neighbors made. You could hear the screaming in the background and the single gunshot. Well done.

  7. Thanks so much Corinne. This was a hard one to write. It makes me sad when people use words to hurt.

  8. A few sad events inspired this. It was a way for me to process things. Thanks so much Sulekha.

  9. Andy how right you are my dear! Words have the power to lift us up or bring us down. In this piece I focused on the negative aspect, but you know I know the beautiful energy words can have. But sometimes we have to analyze the bad to fix it. Cheers and thanks for always stopping by!

  10. Martha, your words touch me deeply. Thanks so much!

  11. Melissa, I can’t imagine you ever hurting a soul. This piece was focusing on the extreme ways words can hurt and seep into the DNA, but I’m sure you’ve never used words in this way. Impossible. Thanks for your comments as always! 🙂

  12. Sweepy, what happened to Trayvon Martin haunts me daily. This was not easy for me to write at all. I truly hope his family gets justice for his death.

  13. Rachel says:

    Crazy powerful, Tameka. I’m saddened when people use their words that way. You’ve illustrated the harm well. Thank you.

  14. I agree Rachel. It hurts my heart. Glad you liked the poem…

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